The present invention relates generally to a method for controlling assembly of an automotive vehicle or the like, in which various models of and various specifications of assemblies are transported through a common transporter and which assemblies are each formed from a plurality of differing components. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and system for identifying each component to be assembled and the required assembly process according to the model and specification of the assembly to be assembled.
In the automotive vehicle industry and so forth, various models of and specifications of vehicles are assembled by means of a common transporter line, such as a conveyor belt. In general, the various models and specifications of vehicles are transported apparently at random in accordance with a production plan.
Seeking for efficiency in manufacturing, there have been developed and proposed various systems for controlling assembly operations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,012 to Sekine et al discloses a control system for an automotive vehicle component assembly line using a bar-code information system. In this system, all of the instructions concerning the model of the vehicle, the specification of the vehicle to be assembled and so forth are converted into a bar code compatible with a digital processor used as a controller. The bar-code is readable photo-electrically for conversion into digital data used in controlling assembly operations and identifying each component to be assembled by means of the digital controller.
The present invention proposes an improvement of the foregoing control system, which makes it easy for a line worker to visually confirm the required operation and the component to be assembled.